


Challenge accepted

by justamazing10



Category: A Song of Ice and Fire - George R. R. Martin, Game of Thrones (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, F/F, I'm not going to tag all characters cuz we'd be here all day, also I didn't put any warnings, but Joffrey is tagged, so beware of his bullshit, you know how GoT is
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-22
Updated: 2020-10-25
Packaged: 2021-03-09 06:01:05
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 10,569
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27149084
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/justamazing10/pseuds/justamazing10
Summary: Fake dating AURobert Baratheon is retiring from politics and the Lannisters throw a little retirement party. Out of courtesy and politeness, Eddard Stark forces his family to go. After a while, Joffrey starts poking fun at Sansa until Margaery sweeps in to save the night by pretending to date Sansa.
Relationships: Sansa Stark/Margaery Tyrell
Comments: 31
Kudos: 148





	1. Challenge accepted

“So I’m standing there barefoot, my lasagne only mid-eaten, the car has caught on fire and my boyfriend is coming out of the portable toilet with a roll of toilette paper rolled up his torso-“

Sansa walked past Arya as fast as she could. She didn’t want to listen _again_ to that unrefined story of hers. The first time she had to sit through that story had scarred her enough for life. She did _not_ want to hear it ever again.

Sansa made her way over to the table where the drinks were being served. She hated the party. The only reason she was there is because her father had forced all Starks to go. _‘It’s important that we all attend. To show our gratitude to Robert for his services.’_ Sansa could still hear Robb’s snort and Arya mumbling disgruntledly upon their father’s words.

This year Robert Baratheon retired from politics after nearly 40 years in the office. Everyone at the Stark household except for Ned had cheered upon the news, but their bliss had quickly faded away as soon as they learnt whose name was among the candidates running for the open position. The list was pretty dreadful as it were –with names like Baelish, Stannis and Euron Greyjoy– but when you added Joffrey to the bunch, it only made it that much worse. And because Eddard Stark had a place on the council, he had been invited to Robert’s retirement party, which the Lannisters pretty much singlehandedly organised, aided with the Tyrells’ money.

Sansa poured herself a double whiskey and downed it all in one go. The drink burnt her throat but in a pleasant way. She sighed contently whilst filling her glass up again.

“Thought I’d find you by the alcohol stand.” A voice called out from behind her. Sansa pursed her lips together and clutched her glass tightly in her hand. “You picked up that trait from your father, surely.” Cersei Lannister chuckled dryly as she stood alongside Sansa. She didn’t cast her even once glance before she grabbed the closest bottle of wine and emptied it all on her glass.

“Nice party.” The redhead forced a smile on her face but she knew Cersei could see right through her. Not that she particularly cared, but she still had to put on a façade for her father’s sake.

“Oh, is it? You’ve barely been here for 10 minutes, most of which you’ve spent drinking my alcohol.” Cersei had drank half glass by the time she turned to face Sansa. Once she did, she looked at Sansa up and down, as if searching for something in particular.

“You can scarcely call it ‘your alcohol’ when it’s meant for the guests, can’t you?” Sansa flashed the blonde woman her brightest smile, albeit it was a fake one. Both women knew. Still, they both had to keep up the appearances.

“Hmm, I see that, unlike your dress, your boldness has grown larger.” The redhead was wearing a navy blue cocktail dress, with a golden strip on both shoulders. She’d found the exact dress that combined perfectly sophistication with a hint of sexiness. It was cut right above her knees, which meant it was short enough to be considered seducing, but still long enough to be an appropriate option to wear among her father’s colleagues. She completed the look with a pair of black heels.

“What can I say?” Sansa titled her head to the side casually. Her tone was polite and even borderline playful. “Time does wonders to a person, wouldn’t you say?”

“Indeed, it does.” Cersei tried to suppress the growl out of her voice, but she didn’t hide it quite as well as she would have wanted. “So” the woman scanned the room lazily when a thought popped into her head “is that uncivilised sister of yours around?” Cersei smirked, thinking she’d hit the nail on the head to get a rise out of the girl, but instead Sansa’s eyes lit up. She titled her head towards where Arya was standing.

“Hmm” she hummed “I believe she’s telling an uncivilised story to _your_ kids.”

Cersei’s head couldn’t have spun faster. She looked across the room until her eyes landed on Arya. She was with Tommen and Myrcella and it seemed both kids were extremely enjoying themselves. Cersei didn’t like that one bit. Not only were her children getting along with a Stark, but by the hand gestures Arya was making Cersei knew that story was _not_ for kids.

Before Sansa had the chance to add some witty remark, Cersei sprinted across the room to snatch Tommen and Myrcella away from Arya. The brunette blinked at the abruptness at which Cersei had taken the kids away, but she didn’t give it much thought and made her way to the alcohol stand instead.

Sansa grinned once Arya was by her side. “I take it Cersei didn’t like your story?”

Arya shrugged nonchalantly. “I don’t see why not. That story had everything: action, drama, suspense...”

The redhead chuckled and shook her head “I’m sure once you think it through you’ll know why she didn’t find it so amusing.”

“What about you?” Arya redirected the conversation as she grabbed another beer. Sansa was not entirely certain, but she could’ve sworn that was Arya’s fourth. “Anything I missed?”

“Not really. I only made small chat with Cersei.”

“Nothing with Cersei is ever ‘small chat’.” Arya puffed. “How much longer must we stay here?”

“I don’t know.” Sansa scratched her chin. “I believe Father wants us to stay at least long enough to hear Robert’s speech.”

Arya growled audibly at that. “Well, that’s gonna take forever then.” Sansa agreed.

Both sisters turned their back to the stand and looked at the attendants. There was Robb chatting amicably with Theon Greyjoy, who hadn’t been previously invited but Robb had essentially begged their Father to let the boy come and so after much pleading he’d reluctantly agreed. If only for Robb’s sake. His son had said Theon would be the only thing that would keep him sane for the night. Sansa believed Greyjoy would have the contrary effect on her brother, but she didn’t say anything. At least he had a friend to keep him company.

Then there was Jon, standing awkwardly in a corner. He was talking with some other boy Sansa did not know but he seemed comfortable enough around him so she was happy for him. And because of their young age, Bran and Rickon had been left at home with Hodor, their sitter.

Lastly, the remaining Starks, Ned and Catelyn, were stood next to Robert Baratheon himself. The man laughed loudly at something her Father had said and Sansa was glad that, despite being surrounded by Lannisters, Ned had found somewhat of a friend.

There were more people than Sansa would have expected, still she only knew a handful of them, half of whom were her own family. As for the rest, Sansa either straight up didn’t like them or didn’t deem none of them interesting enough to strike a conversation with.

“I’m gonna go pee.” Arya said, ever so ladylike. “If I haven’t come back in 5 minutes, don’t come looking for me. Presume me dead.”

“Ugh, please _do_ come back instead of sneaking off with Gendy again!” Sansa called out after Arya as the brunette walked away. She didn’t know if her sister had heard her or not. She supposed she had.

Sansa sighed and finished her drink. She turned to the table and started to pour herself another one, already planning on joining Robb and Theon when someone came up beside her. Sansa prayed to the Old Gods that it wasn’t Cersei again.

“That’s a bold choice for a dress.” It was not Cersei who spoke, but at that moment Sansa wished it had been. “That’s too slutty even for you.”

Sansa turned around slowly, whilst displaying the fakest smile she’d ever put on. “Joffrey” she said lightly. “How are you?”

“Better than you, that’s for sure.” He snickered. “What’s up with the whore attire? It’s not like you’ve got someone to impress. _Unless_ ” his eyes gleamed in a way that made Sansa shiver “you’ve dressed up like this for me”.

“I’m afraid that would not be the case.” Sansa pursed her lips together. Being around Joffrey always made her feel uneasy, even while they were dating. There just was something that was not right with the boy. After everything that happened, Sansa believed she’d grown stronger but being there, alone with him, she felt every hair at the back of her head stand up. Her whole body already tensing.

“Oh?” Joffrey furrowed his brow, his tone growing unkinder by the minute. “What then? Are you trying to rig the elections by showing off your cunt? So that dear ol’ daddy will win? I _hate_ democracy.”

“My Father is not even running for the position.” Sansa’s hand closed around the glass tightly. She was determined _not_ to lose her temper if only for her Father’s sake. Even so, Joffrey was making that task very challenging for her.

“You’re doing it for me then?” Joffrey took a step closer to Sansa. His breath reeked of cheap vodka and Sansa had to suppress a grimace. She noticed the glass on his left hand was full, which meant that was not his first drink of the night. “You know, tonight after this, I could come pay you a little visit-“ He grabbed her arm forcefully as he inched even closer.

“Joffrey, don’t-“

“Sans, darling!” Both heads turned around and were greeted by the sight of one Margaery Tyrell, who has approaching them with a beaming smile. “I’ve been looking everywhere for you! You had me worried.” She hugged Sansa tightly and planted a soundly kiss on her right cheek as she withdrew away. Her eyes never leaving Sansa’s face. “What a beautiful dress! You look absolutely stunning.”

The fact that she’d completely ignored Joffrey made the boy furious. “Margaery” he called, malice dripping off his voice, but he tried to disguise as courtesy. Only he didn’t fool anyone. “I was not aware you were coming.”

Finally, Margaery looked at the boy. She smiled easily at him, as if she was actually pleased to be talking to him. “Oh, I would’ve arrived sooner, but Grandmother ran into an old friend of hers by the entrance and we were held back a few minutes.”

“I see.” Joffrey nodded his head. He didn’t match Margaery’s smile, opting instead for a scowl. He had planned to have his fun with Sansa for a while longer, but it didn’t look like Margaery would be leaving them alone anytime soon. Instead, the brunette slipped her arm around Sansa’s waist and pulled her flush against her.

Sansa for the life of her didn’t know what to make of it. Joffrey and Margaery were staring each other down, not saying a word, and the redhead felt as if the lion and the rose were silently trying to scare the other away.

“I’m sorry I had to make you wait for so long” Margaery told Sansa casually after some time, as if the latter had been actually waiting for her.

“Oh, it’s no problem.” Sansa smiled back at her. She realised Margaery’s smile seemed more sincere when it was directed at her, in contrast to the one’s she threw at Joffrey which –in Sansa’s opinion– appeared to be mocking the boy.

“I didn’t know you two were friends.” Joffrey spat at them. At that, Margaery actually threw her head back and laughed so loudly you’d think she’d just heard the greatest joke of all time. “Did I say something amusing?” He growled. Sansa could feel rather than see the tension between Joffrey and Margaery. She didn’t like it one bit and wanted so desperately to make it stop. But she didn’t know how to cut in. It looked like they were playing at a game Sansa did not know the rules of.

“Well, yes.” Margaery chuckled as her laughter died down. Then, she turned to Sansa right as Joffrey chose the worst possible time to try and end his drink in one go. “I thought you would’ve told him by now we’re dating.”

If Sansa hadn’t been so busy choking on air, she would’ve laughed at the way Joffrey accidentally spat out half of his drink on his clothes and his eyes bulged comically. Margaery noticed straight away Sansa’s confusion, so she took advantage of the fact that Joffrey was distracted drying the alcohol stains on his clothes and inched close to Sansa’s ear. “I can get rid of this little bastard in no time, just play along.”

Sansa nodded her approval and silently thanked her lucky stars for Margaery. She’d known the girl for a few years now, and ever since the beginning, she’d looked up at the older girl with such admiration. Everything about Margaery fascinated Sansa.

A couple of months into their friendship and Sansa was already enamoured with everything the brunette did. It wasn’t until Margaery casually told the redhead about her preference for women that Sansa’s mind began to wonder whether she had a shot with her. The thought scared her at first, back when she deemed herself to be as straight as an arrow, but as weeks and months passed, she realised she’d started to see Margaery in a different light. Or maybe it wasn’t a different light at all. Maybe her feeling had always been there but she had not realised it until then.

The thing is, ever since Sansa found out this new piece of information, she couldn’t help but notice every single little thing about Margaery. Like the way her nose would scrunch whenever she smelt something she didn’t like –like curry, smoke or gasoline– and the way she would close her eyes and breathe in contently when she smelt something she fancied –like roses, fresh pastries, the sea or Sansa’s perfume, although Sansa tried not to think too much about the last; lest she allowed herself to get her hopes up when she was certain a girl as stunning and perfect as Margaery wouldn’t notice a silly girl like herself.

Still, from time to time, she would let herself dream about what it would be like to be with Margaery, to be able to wake up next to her every day and be the reason behind her smiles and giggles, to be the first and last thing on her mind, to be the one Margaery wanted to spend her days and nights with.

It was Joffrey’s voice that brought Sansa out of her trance and back to reality. “You what?!” He was looking directly at Sansa as if she’d done him a great wrong. His face was bright red and his hand gripped too tightly on the glass. “Just when I thought you couldn’t be more disgusting, you do _this_.” He gestured at Sansa’s general direction, as if that would be explanation enough. “You dragged poor sweet Margaery into this fucking mess of yours. You _perverted_ her with your deviating ways.”

Sansa had kept her cool this long and she had intended on doing so until Joffrey got bored and walked away on his own, but the very same moment he had demeaned Margaery like that was all it took for Sansa to snap at him. She took a daring step closer to him. “You talk to her again with such insolence and I promise you’ll regret it.”

“Oh, yeah? And what are _you_ going to do?” Joffrey mocked.

“I’ll send Lady whilst you sleep to make sure you’re reminded of your place.” She gritted her teeth together.

“You, _bitch_.” Joffrey spat. “You can’t talk to me like that!”

“Of course I can” Sansa countered. Her blood was boiling and she felt like she was seconds away from doing something her Father would without a doubt chastise her later for. Still, she didn’t find it in herself to care. Not when Joffrey had insulted Margaery so blatantly. “If you knew what’s best for you, you’d walk the fuck away.”

Margaery widened her eyes and turned her head towards Sansa. It was the first time she’d ever heard the Northerner curse.

“Last time I saw you” the boy foolishly charged once more against the redhead, thinking he could still win the argument “you were dating that Bolton boy; so what happened that turned you into a dyke?” He snarled “Wasn’t his cock good enough?” Sansa didn’t know whether it was the remark or the laugh that came after that infuriated her most. She clenched her fists as her shoulders began to shake. It wouldn’t take long before she lost whatever remained of her composure. But Sansa had long lost interest in looking calm and collected, her sole attention being now focused on the boy.

“Pardon me” Margaery’s voice came out mellow and calm, but she was ready to throw hands. She let go of Sansa in order to stand between Joffrey and the redhead. She would’ve blocked Sansa’s view if it weren’t for Sansa’s height. Still, she intended on becoming some sort of human shield for the Northerner. “And who do you think you are to talk to my girl like that?” She took a defiantly step closer to the boy “she can dress however she pleases” another step “say whatever she pleases” another one “and date whomever she pleases.” Joffrey ended having to recoil a couple of steps back in order to maintain his balance. “Let this be the last time you disrespect Sansa, because so help me Gods, if I ever hear you say a _single_ bad thing about her again I will hunt your ass down and beat you up so badly your own mother won’t recognise you.” Margaery was normally a very diplomatic and collected person, but Joffrey was managing to push every single one of her buttons.

“Come on, Margaery. You can’t possibly want to be around _her_.” He pronounced the last word as if it actually physically pained him to say it. “Let me take you out instead. I’ll show you what a _real_ relationship looks like.”

“I’ll say this one more time and I swear it will be the last.” Margaery blinked almost flirtatiously. Her tone was soft but her eyes left no room for misinterpretation. She was furious. “Step the fuck away from my girl.”

Realising now Margaery had also turned on him, he decided to back down. “You know what? I have no use for her anyway.” Joffrey took a step closer to Margaery, which was compensated by Sansa stepping forward as well. The action resulted on Sansa being pressed firmly against Margaery’s back; the latter had to use some strength to hold the redhead back, lest she lost her nerves and pounced on the blonde. “You can keep your bitch.”

And that was that. It was then, right as the boy laughed cruelly at his own comment that she lost it. Even though Sansa’s anger was off the roof, it was Margaery’s punch that collided with his face. He threw some insults her way but Margaery couldn’t make out the words, given that his hands were cupping his bloody nose.

“You fucking _dykes_! You’ll regret this! You both will!” He yelled before storming off. As he ran to the bathroom, the brunette noticed the silence surrounding them and she casted her glance to the side in order to see the other attendant’s reaction.

The first person she saw was Cersei Lannister. The woman pursed her lips together but said nothing. She just stared at Margaery down for a few seconds before running after her son to aid him. Robert Baratheon cursed aloud and begrudgingly went to the bathroom as well. Margaery also noticed both Tommen and Myrcella offering her a tiny smile, displaying no kind of sympathy for their brother before Jaime Lannister was by their side. He calmly told them to go with him outside.

On the other end of the room was Theon, wearing a shit-eating grin and no doubt already planning on congratulating Margaery afterwards. Stood by his side was Robb, and although his face betrayed no emotion, he gave the brunette a subtle thumbs up.

“Wooooo!” Arya suddenly yelled, throwing both her hands up in the air, as if celebrating a touchdown. Her beer long gone. “Now _this_ is a party!” Her smile matched Theon’s.

“I wouldn’t have done that if I were you.” Came a voice from behind Margaery. “I mean, _I_ would’ve, I definitely would’ve because that douchebag had it coming but” Sansa grabbed Margaery’s bruised hand with much delicacy “I’m not sure that’s gonna sit well with your Grandmother, and much less the Lannisters.”

“Well” Margaery chuckled despite what happened “someone had to shut him up. Let me worry about them later.”

“Thank you” Sansa relaxed now that Joffrey was out of sight; her smile was timid but sincere “really.”

“No need to thank me, sweet girl.” Margaery smiled brightly at the redhead. “I’ve wanted to do that for ages, if I’m being honest.” That earned her a chuckle from Sansa.

“Margaery.” The brunette’s smile faltered away as soon as the voice came. She turned around slowly.

“Grandmother.” Margaery pursed her lips together. She knew her act would have consequences and even though she was well aware Grandmother Olenna didn’t like the Lannister boy one bit, she knew she’d have to deal with the result of her actions.

“May we speak alone?” It was a question, but the tone of voice with which it was accompanied left no room for objections. Margaery nodded, muttered ‘ _Sorry’_ to Sansa and started to walk behind her Grandmother.

Not a full ten seconds had passed that Arya was by her sister’s side. “So, you two banging?” Arya bluntly asked Sansa once Margaery was out of earshot. She grabbed a beer from the table and took a large sip. “I heard Joffrey muttering something about you two dating. Although” she added “he used a much crasser terminology.”

For the second time that night, Sansa choked on her spit. “Wha- we’re not- I mean” she corrected herself, remembering Margaery had indeed referred to herself as her girlfriend. Not wanting to blow the Highgardener’s cover she quickly said: “We started out as friends!”

“Your point?” Arya tilted her head to the side and watched her sister expectantly. She didn’t particularly care about who Sansa was or wasn’t shagging, but she figured watching the redhead ramble would be a close second to the most fun she’d have that night so she was determined to stretch this conversation as much as she possibly could.

“I mean, you know…” Sansa was visibly struggling to find the right words but given that Arya was in no rush she watched amusedly as the taller girl gesticulated ambiguously with her hand in the air. “We were friends, so we decided to take it slow.”

“How come none of us knew you two were a thing?” The shorter girl asked.

“It’s still pretty new. We didn’t want to jinx it.” Arya hummed, seemingly content with the answer.

“I have to say” she paused to take another sip of her beer “your girl does clean up pretty nice. She’s caught the attention of every single man –and some women– since the moment she entered the building.”

The jealousy that coursed through Sansa’s body then was both unexpected and foreign. She had definitely noticed how extremely beautiful Margaery looked that night. The dress she wore was a shade of deep forest green and whereas Sansa’s straps had been relatively thin, Margaery’s were fairly broad, to make up for the plunging neckline she was showing off. The top half of her back was bare but her hair cascaded down flawlessly and covered some skin.

Sansa couldn’t blame the attendants for staring, because the sight was truly mesmerizing, what she did disapprove of, however, was how most of those looks seemed to only be directed at her cleavage. When the realisation crossed her mind Sansa felt a sense of possessiveness and, although she wouldn’t admit it even to herself, the thought ‘ _mine’_ did come to mind.

As Arya cleared her throat, it occurred to Sansa that her sister was still waiting for an answer. “No surprise here.” Sansa shrugged casually as her gaze was directed at Margaery. The older girl was at the far end of the room, speaking with Lady Olenna. “She’s beautiful.”

Arya followed Sansa’s eyes until she saw Margaery. It did not go unnoticed by her sister the fact Sansa’s expression softened upon seeing the older girl. Arya smiled softly –mostly to herself. She’d known from the very first instant that Margaery had lied about dating Sansa, but she also knew about her sister’s feelings for the Tyrell girl. The redhead was pretty good at disguising her emotions, so only a very observant person would notice it. And despite her many flaws, if Arya was one thing was observant.

“You’ll still want to be careful around Cersei, though.” The shorter girl warned after a couple of minutes of comfortable silence. “She’s gonna want to strangle you as soon as the bastard is okay. The Lannisters are going to take Joffrey’s ex-girlfriend dating a lesbian as a great insult. It hurts their pride or some shit.”

“I know” Sansa sighed. She turned around and poured herself another glass of whiskey. “Let’s worry about that later, okay?” Arya nodded. She was about to add something else when she spotted out of the corner of her eye Margaery and her Grandmother approaching them. Arya excused herself in order to give her sister some privacy.

“Sansa, I would like you to meet my Grandmother.” Margaery offered her Grandmother a glass of wine and poured herself another one.

“Olenna Tyrell, dear.” Sansa was expecting her to hold out her hand but the woman never did. “I take it you’ve heard about me.” She took a sip of her own drink which prompted Margaery to do the same.

“I have, ma’am.” Sansa nodded. “I apologise for causing such a scene tonight.” She lamented.

“Nonsense.” The woman shook her head, taking the heat out of it. “The only thing I’m sorry for is that you couldn’t take a swing at him yourself as well.” Sansa smiled timidly.

“Grandmother!” Margaery snickered. “What will Sansa think of us? You raised me to be well-mannered.”

“And so I’ve done, dear.” Lady Olenna solemnly said. “You did well by your girlfriend when you knocked the troubled boy off his high horse.” Sansa blushed as she noticed Lady Olenna had referred to her as her granddaughter’s ‘girlfriend’.

“I take it you’re not angry at Margaery, then?” The Northerner sheepishly asked.

“I would have preferred my granddaughter to have had the decency to wait to pull off something like away from so many prying eyes, _but_ ” Lady Olenna sighed “I know just how loyal the girl can be to the people she loves and if your honour was on the table, well then, there was nothing nobody could’ve done to stop her.”

Sansa glanced at Margaery and was surprised when the older girl blushed and refused to meet her gaze. “That’s very kind of you to say, ma’am.” The redhead thanked the woman.

Lady Olenna hummed. “Anyway, I’m spotting the cheese plate I was promised about 10 minutes ago” She looked over her shoulder. “If you ladies will excuse me, I’m going to eat the food I paid for.” The woman bid her goodbyes, leaving the two girls alone.

“Sorry about her.” Margaery shook her head. “She can be a tad blunt sometimes.”

“It’s okay.” Sansa shrugged. “I like her.”

“I’m glad.” Margaery smiled easily at Sansa.

There was something at the back of her mind that was nagging Sansa. She didn’t know how to subtly approach the subject so she just dove right in. “Why did you say we were dating?” The question and the boldness with which Sansa said it took Margaery aback. “I mean, if you wanted to defend me” upon the lack of a direct response Sansa decided to clarify “you could’ve just done so without telling him we were a couple.” Sansa tilted her head to the side expectantly.

“And where’s the fun in that?” Margaery winked flirtatiously. The gesture made Sansa blush once again. “Besides, you look marvellous, darling. It would only be fit for you to have a date for the night.” Sansa tried not to think about the fact that her heart was beating faster with every word Margaery spoke. “Unless” she added on second thought “you wanted to be with someone else?”

“No!” It was almost embarrassing how quick Sansa declined the suggestion. She felt her face turn even redder, so she cleared her throat. “So, does this mean we have to keep up the charade all night long?” She chuckled to cover up her eagerness.

There was a gleam in Margaery’s eye that made Sansa shiver, but in a good way. “Wanna find out how many people we can scandalise by being extra affectionate in public?”

And if there was something Sansa was unable to do was deny Margaery anything. “Game on.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading. Reviews are encouraged and appreciated, since they let me know where I can improve.
> 
> You can also find me on Tumblr: itsmionet  
> Don't be shy to say hi.


	2. Challenge completed

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks to everyone who took the time to read and review. I salute you.
> 
> Enjoy.

“So” Sansa clapped her hands together “what should we bet on it?”

Margaery tilted her head to the side and pretended to think about it for a while. “I’m sure something will come to mind. How about we set the rules first?”

The more Sansa drank, the less she cared about behaving properly around her father’s colleagues. “Alright” She set her empty glass on the table and scratched her chin thoughtfully. “How about we dare each another? And whoever successfully completes the most challenges wins.”

To say Margaery was intrigued would be an understatement. “What kind of dares do you have in mind?” The brunette smirked.

Sansa’s smile grew from ear to ear. “My challenges for you are: you must talk in a northern accent for a whole conversation, get someone to choke on their drink and lastly use as many ridiculous pet names for me as you possibly can until someone calls you out on it.” Sansa looked smug and completely proud of herself for coming up with those.

“Very well” Margaery nodded approvingly. “Mine for you are…” she paused and thought about it for a moment until her eyes grew wide and her smile broader “… you have to make someone so uncomfortable they walk away, tell someone about our sex life until they _beg_ you to stop and use an item of clothing of mine and see if someone notices.” Margaery was already wearing a victory smile, knowing full well poor shy Sansa would be incapable of carrying out most of the dares.

“I feel like your dares are much brazen than mine.” Sansa pouted. “How is that fair?”

“You were the one who set the rules, _honey bear_.” The older girl teased Sansa. The latter puffed in false annoyance. “Come on, let’s start before the party is over.” She nudged the redhead forward. “The clock starts… _now_!”

Before Sansa could say anything, Margaery had already ran off. ‘ _Gods’_ Sansa thought shaking her head from side to side, a bashful smile adorning her lips ‘ _the things I agree to for that woman…_ ’. The taller girl poured herself another glass of wine and drank it in one sip, hoping the alcohol would make her lose a little bit of shyness and make it easier for her to get through her dares. Once her glass was empty, she filled it up once more and walked over to Robb and Theon.

She knew Theon would be drunk off his ass by now, so there was a decent chance he wouldn’t even remember what she said. The problem though, was Robb. Because he had also been instructed by their father to behave, he was likely to not have had more than two drinks, tops.

“Hey, guys.” Sansa greeted the pair cheerfully. “Having fun?”

“Not really.” Theon grunted. It was evident by his tone of voice he had had _at least_ eight drinks already. “This night is dragging longer than I anticipated.” He ran a hand over his face and shook his head. Sansa noticed he had another full glass clutched in his hand. Any other time, Sansa would have advised Theon not to drink anymore but that night, she would allow it –if only for the selfish reason of making sure he would not remember what Sansa was about to say the day after–.

“What about you?” Robb turned to Sansa, his eyes softening. “I heard Joffrey defaming you by making up lies about how you and Margaery are a couple now.” He snorted.

_‘It’s now or never’_ Sansa thought. _‘Robb just gave me an opening and if I don’t take it now, I won’t be able to get through this stupid dare without dying of embarrassment.’_

“It’s not a lie.” Sansa realised she’d spoken so softly her brother had not heard her so she cleared her throat and talked louder “It’s true. Margaery and I really are dating.”

Sansa didn’t remember a time of her life when she’d seen Robb look more startled than then. Her brother scratched his head in a nervous manner, struggling to find the words.

“Well it was about damn time!” Theon blurted out. “It was _draining_ having to watch the two of you dance around one another making googly eyes. I was two days away from intervening myself. I was already planning on locking you both in a room until you talked things through. You know” he grinned “I would’ve even gotten you a nice bottle of wine, some candles, maybe even suggesting music playing on the background… just so you could go _feral_ on each other and-” Theon shut up mid-sentence when he took notice of the death glare Robb was sending him. He cleared his throat. “Anyway, I’m glad you finally figured it out.”

Aside from Robb, Sansa was now also at loss for words. Her heart was pounding. This was _not_ how she’d planned this conversation to go. _‘Alright, Sansa, no need to analyse in-depth what Theon_ said’ she tried to calm herself down _‘surely he doesn’t know what he’s saying; I mean, he’s drank so much after all…’_

“I’m sure the wait was worth it though. I bet the sex is amazing.” Theon had a shit-eating grin adorning his face.

Sansa took a large gulp of her wine. _‘Okay, now THIS is the perfect opening.’_

“Right.” Sansa had to make a concentrated effort so that her laugh would sound genuine. “Anyway, now that the cat’s out of the bag I suppose there’s no need for me to keep quiet anymore. And since I don’t have to keep secrets anymore I can confirm that, yes, the sex is indeed amazing.”

Robb hadn’t still said anything, but he downed half his drink in one go; obviously loathing this topic of conversation. He looked around the room, debating on where he could flee to.

“You know” Sansa put on a casual tone of voice even though she was utterly flustered on the inside “ironically, all that pent up tension has really helped and now we are having the most mind-blowing sex.”

Despite of his level of drunkenness, Theon listened attentively, not missing a single word Sansa was saying.

“It’s like, we can’t get our hands off each other.” Sansa chuckled. “I’m having a hard enough time as it is right now not to pounce on Margaery right here. I mean…” she trailed off as she casted a glance at the brunette. She made sure both boys noticed where she was looking. “She looks absolutely _delicious_ tonight.” She bit her lip.

Sansa realised Robb’s face was displaying a shade of red she’d never seen before, and she knew she almost got him. _‘Time to go for the kill’,_ she thought.

Sansa sighed longingly, loud enough for the boys to hear. “I could just go over there, tear her pretty dress apart and eat her-“

“Okay!” Robb shouted. That caused a couple of heads to turn around. The older Stark waved an apologetic hand at them and once they’d resumed their conversations, he turned hotly towards his sister. “For the love of all that is holy, Sansa!” He whispered-yelled. “I love you but you’re my _little_ sister. I do _not_ want to hear about your sex life.” He sighed. “Look, you and Margaery make a nice couple and it’s great that you’re comfortable enough to talk about sex but _please_ , I beg of you, find someone else to talk to about these things.” He pleaded.

‘ _Challenge completed’_ Sansa smiled triumphantly. ‘ _Now, onto the next one’_.

“You’re right.” His sister agreed half-heartedly. “I’m sorry. I’ll go find Arya. I’ll leave you guys to it.”

“What?! No!” Theon looked pained. “Please, stay.” He pouted.

For the first time since she’d approached the boys, Sansa’s laugh was sincere. “It’s okay. Besides, someone has to make sure the little one doesn’t get into any trouble.”

She bid them her goodbyes and walked off. As she left she found she had contrary feelings about what just happened: on one hand, she was horrified at herself for being so blunt –even though everything she’d said had been a lie. ‘ _The last part wasn’t’_ the voice at the back of her head reminded her. Sansa decided she wouldn’t listen to it, lest she let her mind drift off to the place she reserved for when she was alone in bed at night. On the other hand, however, she couldn’t deny the fact that the whole exchange had been pretty amusing.

She scanned the room quickly, and smiled when she spotted Jon alone. She made her way towards him.

“Hi” she greeted him.

“Hey, Sansa” Jon smiled at her. “How do you like the party?”

“Meh” Sansa shrugged. “Not really my scene. You?”

“Mine either.” He concurred. “The food’s great, though.” As if on cue, a waiter walked by carrying a tray of something Sansa could not identify. Jon grabbed a couple of pieces and stuffed them in his mouth. Sansa giggled.

As Jon ate, they fell into a comfortable silence. Sansa took advantage of the quietness to take a sip of her drink. “I bet you must have heard the rumours by now. About me and Marge.” Sansa said easily.

“I have.” Jon nodded.

“And? What do you think?” Sansa raised an eyebrow and turned her whole body to him.

“I think it’s actually great.” Jon answered easily. “You found someone you really care about and, by the looks of it, it seems she also cares very deeply for you.” The boy’s eyes found Margaery standing all across the room, talking amicably with her cousins.

Sansa broke into a smile and nodded contently. There was a part of her that wanted to carry on with the conversation, but as her eyes locked with Margaery’s and the brunette winked seductively at her, Sansa recalled why she had approached Jon in the first place.

“You know” she gathered up all the courage she could muster and dove right in “I was thinking… since you’ve gone down on Ygritte a couple of times before, you could give me some pointers so to improve my performance.”

Poor Jon looked as if he would pass out any minute. “Um, I don’t- I wouldn’t know-“

“I mean, it’s not like I don’t know what I’m doing” Sansa made a face and gestured in front of her, as if trying to make Jon picture the scene. Needless to say, Jon did not want to picture it. “I know I’m good, if the sounds Marge makes are any indication to go by.” Sansa explained with a hint of false cockiness. “It’s just- sometimes I think I can do better. On the best days, it takes Marge about 10 minutes to c-“

“Sansa, please, I really don’t want to talk about it.” Jon muttered embarrassed. To his credit, he looked more composed than Robb had been but Sansa knew Jon was about to give up. So she pushed the topic further.

“Jon, please, I really need your advice.” The Stark girl whined. She hated to admit it, but she was having more fun than she’d thought she would originally. With Robb and Theon, she’d been mortified at first, but the more she talked with Jon and the more she drank, she was starting to feel more comfortable. “Do you think I should push my tongue further up her-“

“Oops! I think Sam’s calling me.” Jon blurted whilst recoiling back. “I really shouldn’t have left him alone.” He wouldn’t stop walking backwards. “Anyway, I had a great time talking to you, Sansa. See you later!” And with that, he disappeared into the crowd.

Sansa did actually laugh out loud this time. ‘ _Two down, one more to go. I might actually win this thing.’_

But the redhead realised she needed to find Margaery in order to accomplish her third dare, for she needed an item of clothing of hers. She looked quickly over the room until she spotted the brunette. Her smile was beaming as she approached her.

“Yeah, that was fun.” She heard Margaery say as she came closer. The girl was talking to Tyrion Lannister, who held not one but two drinks in his hands, both of which were for himself. “Too bad you missed it.” It was then that Sansa noticed Margaery’s speech. She was putting on the northern accent. It may or may not have turned Sansa on a little. When the thought hit her, she drank.

“Am I interrupting?” Sansa asked politely as she stepped beside the Highgardener.

It felt almost natural the way Margaery snuck a hand around Sansa’s waist to pull her closer. “Oh, muffin-top, there you are!”

Sansa grimaced at the pet name but her face broke into a smile the moment Margaery kissed her affectionately on the cheek. The older girl was clearly more comfortable with public displays of affection than her. Sansa intended to turn that around by the end of the night.

“Hello, Tyrion.” The redhead nodded to the man.

“Sansa.” Tyrion returned the gesture. “I was starting to wonder where you were. I think you are starting to rub off on Margaery.” This prompted Sansa to raise an eyebrow. “The more time passed, the thicker Margaery’s northern accent got. I think she just missed you too much.”

Sansa laughed pleasantly. “Aw, is that right, _honey_?” The redhead made sure to emphasise the last word, to which Margaery smiled back. Even though Sansa was not as forward as Margaery was with the whole relationship thing, she figured she had to at least make an effort to make it look like they were a couple. She may not have been ready to kiss her like Margaery had done, but she supposed affectionate names could be a start.

“I hope you find the party to your liking.” Tyrion added after a pause where neither of the girls said anything. Sansa smiled effortlessly. “I must, however, apologise on behalf of my clearly unmannered nephew. He can have quite a temper, as I’m sure you both know.” He lamented.

“I would say he’s the black sheep of the family, but” Margaery shrugged nonchalantly “the whole family is pretty much the same.” She paused. “Except for yourself. In this case, you’d be the glorious astray sheep.” The brunette’s words managed to pull a chuckle from Tyrion.

The man turned to Sansa. “Don’t you ever let this one go.”

Sansa turned her head and looked at Margaery. They were both wearing matching beaming smiles. “Don’t you worry. I won’t.” That earned her another kiss on the cheek.

“Well” Tyrion coughed awkwardly when he noticed both the girls’ attention were on one another “if you’ll excuse me, I think it’s about time I go find that ill-mannered nephew of mine. It was really nice talking to you both.” He excused himself.

Sansa waited until he was far enough to turn to Margaery. “So, how are you doing so far?”

“Well” the Highgardener smirked “I’m sure you can tell I’ve just pulled off a marvellous Northern accent and-”

“Marge,” Sansa giggled “that was _appalling_.” She left out the part where, despite being the worst attempt at the accent she’d ever heard, it had aroused her a bit.

The brunette pouted. “Anyway, as I was saying I also got Loras to choke on his drink.” She said triumphantly.

“And how did you do that?” Sansa tilted her head to the side. Margaery’s smile stretched from ear to ear.

“I told him in _explicit_ detail” her eyes gleamed “how we had sex on his new car. I told him how I rode your skirt up your thighs while I was on my knees in between your legs and how you scratched his leather seats when I licked-”

“Margaery!” Sansa shoved the older girl playfully. “What will people think?!” Her face took the same shade of red as her hair.

“That we’re young” Margaery laughed “and crazy about each other.”

“You’re unbelievable.” Sansa shook her head from side to side, but she couldn’t help but chuckle.

“Why, thank you.” Margaery bowed comically, making Sansa’s laughter livelier. “What about you? Did you do your dares?” The brunette looked smug, already anticipating a negative.

“Well, yes, I did.” Sansa smiled victoriously. “There’s only one left. I need to borrow something of yours to wear.” Sansa looked Margaery up and down and realised it would be kind of complicated to take something of the brunette’s, seeing as she wasn’t wearing much clothing to begin with. “Um-“

“Sans, _dear_ ” Margaery purred “my eyes are up here.” Sansa blushed furiously when she realised she had in fact been staring openly at the other girl’s cleavage.

“Um, right, yeah, sorry.” She scratched the back of her neck, refusing to meet Margaery’s gaze. “So, maybe, we can just call it a tie and be done with it?”

“Nu-uh.” The older girl giggled. “Not when I’m so close to winning.” She showed off her pearl-white smile. Sansa sighed in defeat.

“Alright, in that case…” the redhead put her hands up in a surrender manner “give me something of yours to wear.”

“Hmm” Margaery purred once again, the sound sent shivers down Sansa’s spine “and what would you like me to give you?”

_‘What a wonderful question’_ Sansa thought longingly ‘ _so many answers, so little courage…’_

Margaery chuckled upon the lack of response. It had not gone unnoticed by the brunette the way Sansa’s eyes darkened. “So? What shall it be?”

Sansa shook her head fervently and pushed all thoughts aside. “Perhaps… one of your rings?” she hesitated.

“Very well” Margaery brought both of her hands up until they were at chest level “which one shall do the honours?”

The Northerner looked at each of them carefully. Margaery wore four rings in total and each one was different than the other.

The first one was on Margaery’s right middle finger. It was a handcrafted sterling silver ring with a curved design on its upper face that gave it a playful and innocent style. It shone every time the Highgardener moved her hand. It was cute, but not what Sansa was looking for.

The second one was placed on the brunette’s right thumb. Its design reminded Sansa of an arrow. The redhead grabbed Margaery’s hand and inched closer to confirm what she already suspected. There was no mistaking that glow: that one was pure gold. Sansa decided to not use that one, lest she lost it.

She moved to Margaery’s left hand.

The ring she wore on her index finger was truly beautiful. It was a three stone platinum ring, with a large deep green oval cut sapphire being held by two round white cut diamonds on each side.

All three rings were lovely but it was the last one that caught Sansa’s attention the most. Resting on Margaery’s ring finger, lay a ring in the shape of a rose. Even the band was shaped like a stem. The flower had a golden rose shade. Sansa fell in love with it as soon as she lay eyes on the piece of jewellery.

“I see this one’s picked up your interest?” Margaery inquired when she noticed the other girl staring at it in awe.

“It’s nearly as beautiful as you.” Sansa muttered distractedly.

“But not nearly as breath-taking as you. Not by a long shot.” Margaery answered back easily.

Sansa blushed furiously, for she had not intended to say that aloud. It seemed that the lot of drinks Sansa had had were beginning to take their toll on her. She coughed to cover up her embarrassment.

“So, um” Sansa wavered “could I borrow this one?” She pointed at the one with the rose.

“You’re not borrowing that one, sweet girl.” The brunette smiled, fuelling Sansa’s confusion. She was receiving mixed signals there. Why would Margaery grin if she giving Sansa a negative? The redhead was about to apologise and point to another one when Margaery decided to put an end to the poor girl’s confusion. “You can’t borrow something that’s being gifted to you.”

Sansa started to protest but Margaery paid no attention for she had already grabbed the Northerner’s hand and placed the ring. “Look! It’s a perfect fit!” Sansa’s complaint died on her lips when she saw Margaery’s radiant smile.

“But I feel bad for taking it from you.” She pouted weakly on one last attempt.

The brunette giggled. “You’re not _taking_ it from me.” She clarified. “I’m giving it to you. But if you _do_ feel so bad…” she pondered, her trademark smirk adorning her face “maybe you could get me another one some other time. I believe you know my size already.” The wink that accompanied the sentence made Sansa weak at the knees.

Sansa wished she had a fit response, but she felt loss for words. She had been witness of Margaery’s flirting countless of times before. Some of those flirtatious remarks had even been directed her way, but every time it happened Sansa would always chuckle nervously and avoid Margaery’s eyes. Still, Sansa always deemed those to be playful banter between them. But that didn’t mean they left her feeling indifferent. It was rather the opposite. They always made Sansa’s heart beat a hundred times faster.

The redhead had been debating with herself for some time whether to _actually_ shoot her shot with Margaery, but every time she worked up her courage, all it took was one of Margaery’s smiles and Sansa’s confidence would crumble. Not because the brunette had ever rejected her, but because Sansa often found herself getting lost in Margaery’s eyes and by the time the brunette would ask her whether she was okay, Sansa would feel giddy and start rambling.

As always, Margaery would laugh, take Sansa by the arm and drag her somewhere she knew the redhead loved.

_‘Come on, Sansa’_ the redhead chastised herself ‘ _tonight, Margaery is your girlfriend.’_ She told herself. ‘ ** _Fake_** _girlfriend’_ the voice at the back of her head reminded her.

Sansa took a deep breath to steady herself and smiled at Margaery. “So I have to get someone to notice me wearing your ring and you have to get them to call you out for using ridiculous pet names for me.” Margaery nodded as Sansa recapped. “So, what do you say we target the same person? This way –being it the last dare set for both of us– we can ensure the other doesn’t cheat.”

“Sounds good to me, _cutie pie_.” The brunette hummed approvingly. Sansa rolled her eyes as she intertwined her arms with Margaery’s.

“So, um” Sansa scanned the room, looking for an unsuspected ‘victim’ “what about Arya?”

“No way!” Margaery protested. “No members of our own families are allowed. The results may come out rigged.”

“Well, needless to say, the Lannisters are out as well.” Sansa puffed. “How about… Euron Greyjoy?”

Margaery shivered. “Absolutely not. That guy gives me the creeps.”

“Same goes for me and Baelish, then.” Sansa grimaced.

“Renly?” The Highgardener suggested.

“Nu-uh” Sansa shook her head. “You dated him. He knows full well what your go-to affectionate names are, so he'll notice right away when you use fake ones.”

Margaery looked around the room, pondering their options. “That leaves us with…”

“Brienne.” They both said in unison before looking at each other and smiling victoriously.

“It’s settled then.” Sansa titled her head to the side.

“Whomever gets Brienne to say something first, wins the whole thing.” Margaery finished for her.

“Game on, Tyrell. May the best fake girlfriend win.” Sansa inched closer to Margaery and kissed her on the cheek for the first time before sprinting off to meet Brienne, leaving a dazed Margaery behind.

“She learns fast.” Margaery chuckled under her breath before running after the redhead.

When the Highgardener caught up with them, she had to do everything in her power not to burst out laughing. Sansa was gesticulating exaggeratedly, trying to get Brienne’s attention to focus on the ring on her hand. Unfortunately for her, the blonde’s focus was mainly on her face.

“You alright there, _pumpkin_?” Margaery smirked as she stepped next to Sansa. “You look like you’re having a spasm attack.” Sansa casted her a side glance and puffed. “Hello, Brienne.”

“Hi, Margaery.” The woman nodded politely. “Sansa was telling me about Winterfell’s weather.”

“Was she now?” Margaery snorted a bit as she laughed. “I would have expected you two to be playing Charades or something.” The longer she tried to suppress her giggles, the harder it became with Sansa wildly gesticulating in the air. “Given how much my _honeybun_ here is gesticulating.” Margaery tried to emphasize as much as she could the term of endearment, lest Sansa missed it.

“ _Anyway_ ” the redhead raised her voice slightly in order to regaining Brienne’s attention back on her “the snowflakes that fall on Winterfell are _this_ huge.” She placed her hand practically on Brienne’s face as she stretched her fingers to form some sort of round-like figure, simulating a huge snowflake.

“I bet Brienne’s seen winter in Winterfell, _sweetie pie_.” Margaery’s voice took a competitive edge only Sansa noticed. “No need to get so agitated by describing it to her.”

Margaery and Sansa engaged then on a staring competition, both of them wanting to win the little game they’d set for themselves. That went on for a while until the older woman decided to cut in.

“So” Brienne coughed awkwardly “how’s your evening so far, Margaery?”

The brunette, sensing the opportunity, grinned at the blonde and Sansa knew right then she was in for a ride. “It didn’t start off so well” she pouted “I couldn’t find my _bombshell_ of a girlfriend anywhere and when I finally spotted her, my _cupcake_ was being made fun of by _Joffrey_.” She actually growled at that which Sansa noticed right away, what she could not tell, though, was whether it had been intentional or a slip-up. “All because he couldn’t get into his head the fact that she hadn’t dressed up for him, but for _herself_. Because she has every right to dress however she wishes and I won’t have any asshole –be it Joffrey or anyone else– make Sansa feel bad about herself for wanting to look pretty. ” Margaery explained upset.

Sansa caressed the brunette’s arm, which caused the Highgardener to exhale deeply and close her eyes for a couple of seconds. Once she calmed herself down enough, she resumed. “Anyway, so I had to put that prick back to his place.” She finished. There was a short pause before the brunette grinned triumphantly, no doubt relieving the sweet memory. “And then I introduced my beautiful _princess_ to Grandmother. She was dying to meet Sansa.”

Sansa tilted her head to the side with a smile. The fact that not only did she show no remorse about punching Joffrey, but also that she looked truly pleased to have gotten Lady Olenna to approve of her ‘girlfriend’ brought a comforting heat to Sansa’s chest.

She also noted how Margaery had started off her speech by throwing every single affectionate name she could think of, however, halfway through Margaery’s aim had shifted from trying to win the dare to defending Sansa’s honour once again. The redhead had seen Margaery’s fists clenching at her side as she recalled the incident with the Lannister boy. Yet the moment Sansa’s hand had come in contact with her arm, all her anger seemed to dissipate.

Margaery was animatedly telling Brienne how their encounter with Lady Olenna had gone and whilst Sansa knew she should start to get Brienne’s attention back on her hand but she couldn’t deny the fact that she was actually entranced by Margaery’s voice.

As the older girl kept talking, Sansa put a hand around Margaery’s waist and pulled her closer. The brunette looked surprised at Sansa’s action but leaned into it affectionately. Then Sansa kissed her slowly on her forehead. That shut Margaery right away. She turned her head to look at Sansa. Her smile was kind but her eyes shot the redhead a silent question, since Sansa was not one to do these sort of affectionate things in public. _‘Even though she looks so much like a queen, she’s every bit as much a knight as the ones we learn about in books.’_ Sansa thought lovingly.

The redhead's heated gaze on Margaery made Brienne feel as if she were prying, so she looked away and took a sip from her drink. Sansa's eyes bore into Margaery's. And Margaery did actually hold her breath when Sansa inched closer to her face. The Northerner got closer to the brunette’s ear. “Victory is mine.” She whispered sensually.

In the blink of an eye, Sansa took off the ring Margaery had gifted her and let it fall to the ground. The ‘clink’ that it made once it reached the floor made Brienne look down in search of the object that caused it. Margaery was flabbergasted, clearly impressed with the way Sansa had already declared herself winner.

The blonde bent over and picked it up. “I think you dropped this.” She offered the ring back to Sansa.

“Oh.” Sansa feigned surprise.

“That’s a very beautiful ring.” Brienne complimented. She turned to Margaery “that’s a very thoughtful gift you’ve given Sansa.”

Sansa’s smile couldn’t be bigger. “Yeah, well” Margaery chuckled, already savouring her defeat “she deserves the best.”

Brienne smiled at the couple. They chatted for a while longer until Brienne excused herself to go to the restroom.

“It seems like we have a winner.” Margaery declared whilst raising an eyebrow. “Although I think that was cheating.”

“Nu-uh.” Sansa grinned. “I won fair and square.”

“You so did not!” Margaery protested. She tried to frown but it was futile, a growing smile broke into her face. “You distracted me! That’s cheating.”

“Oh yeah? And how did I distract you?” Sansa teased. She stepped closer to Margaery, suddenly feeling very confident due to her recent victory. “By kissing you on the forehead?” she inched even closer. “Is that all it takes to throw you off your game?”

Sansa’s face was only two mere centimetres away from her face. Margaery could smell Sansa’s perfume and it was intoxicating. She blushed, her confidence dissolving in the air.

“Only if it’s you the one teasing me.” She countered back. It didn’t come out as flirtatiously as she would have wanted but she still was content with the result. Sansa didn’t move away, but her blush matched Margaery’s.

“If my memory serves me right” Sansa’s voice was soft and sweet “you owe me a prize.”

“Your memory would be correct” Margaery nodded. “So, what is it that you want?”

‘ _You’_ Sansa wanted to shout but she contained herself, afraid she’d be too forward and scare Margaery away. The fact that she didn’t say it didn’t make it less true, though. Throughout the night Sansa had learnt to lean into her feelings and learnt to accept the fact that she wanted to be in a relationship with Margaery. And not a fake one. She wanted it to be real.

Sansa took a deep breath. ‘ _This is your chance’_ she encouraged herself. _‘Don’t screw up.’_

“Iwouldliketogoonadate.” Sansa said it so fast she wasn’t sure Margaery understood her. But the brunette did.

“Alright then” she nodded nonchalantly. “I’m sure I can set you up with someone fairly quickly. It shouldn’t be hard” she laughed “you’re stunning.”

Sansa grimaced. This was not what she had meant at all. And just like that, whatever confidence she’d gained through her victory was long gone. Her face was as red as her hair.

“N-no” she stammered. “I-“

The redhead thought that if she was going to do it, she’d do it right. No matter how hard it would be. She raised her head higher and locked eyes with Margaery. The latter was watching her with expectant eyes.

Sansa cleared her throat and spoke louder. “I- I want to go out with you.” She paused and took a deep breath. “I want to go on a date with you.”

Margaery smirked and bit her lip in order to suppress a giggle. If Sansa hadn’t known Margaery that well she wouldn’t have thought much of it, but because she did, she snorted and playfully shoved Margaery. “You’re terrible!” She laughed. “You knew from the first moment what I meant and you let me stutter and half-die from embarrassment.”

Margaery laughed out loud. Her nose scrunched up in a way Sansa found adorable. “I’m sorry! It was so fun to see!” She managed to control her laughter “and adorable” she added on a second note.

Sansa puffed in false annoyance. “Alright, yeah, so you had your fun.” She paused to let the remains of their laugh to die down. “So… is that a no?”

“ _Please_ ” Margaery snorted “I’ve been practically throwing myself at you for _years_ now –thanks for noticing, by the way– so obviously, the answer is yes.”

Sansa was taken aback. “What? No way! I would have noticed!”

“Sans, dear, you wouldn’t have noticed even if I stuck a sign on my forehead.”

“Am I that oblivious?” Sansa sighed in defeat.

“You kind of are, darling.” Margaery chuckled. “But it’s one of the many traits I adore about you.”

Sansa puffed feigning exasperation. “This is not how I expected this declaration to go.”

“Disappointed?” The brunette joked.

“The opposite, actually” Sansa smiled “the girl of my dreams has agreed to go on a date with me.” She smiled victoriously.

“I’m the girl of your dreams, huh?” Margaery smirked smugly. Sansa blushed but didn’t deny it. She wrapped her hands around the brunette’s waist and pulled her closer. “You know, you’re really going to need to sweep me off my feet.” The Highgardener put her hands around Sansa’s neck. “I’ve already given you a ring and we’re not even dating yet.”

“It’s alright” the redhead bumped her nose with Margaery’s “I’ll have plenty of time to replace the ring you gifted me with a much more… everlasting one.” Sansa smirked. Margaery chuckled as she leaned in and closed the remaining distance between them. She kissed Sansa passionately. “Just you wait and see, _Stark_.” This time, it was Sansa who winked.

“I’ve never been known to be patient.” Margaery answered back before kissing Sansa again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for putting up with my 2 a.m. writing shenanigans.
> 
> As always, reviews are appreciated because they help me improve and correct/avoid making further mistakes.

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading. Reviews are encouraged and appreciated, since they let me know where I can improve.
> 
> You can also find me on Tumblr: itsmionet  
> Don't be shy to say hi.


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